Flue-cleaner rod



(No Model.)

T.IR.'BUTMAN. PLUE CLEANER ROD.

No. 425,593. I Patented Apr. 15, 1890 WITNESSES: l/Vl/ENTUI? "YQ-XmKmunB) Cjfgwf 1141 "came Fermi: cm, mn'roLn-nm, wAsmNaTcm, n. :2

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS REED BUTMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

FLU E-C LEAN ER ROD.

SPECIFICATION forming part Of Letters Patent No. 425,593, dated April15, 1890.

Application filed February 6, 1890. Serial No. 839,393. (No model.)

To a whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS REED BUTMAN, of Chicago, in the county ofCook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Flue-Cleaning Rods; and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form part of thisspecification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in flue-scraping rods forsteam-boilers.

It is well known that the fiues of steamboilers when in operation becomefoul with soot and ashes, thereby impairing their capacity for absorbingheat as well as retarding the draft; hence the flues have to be oftenbrushed and cleaned out while the boilers are in use. Ordinarilysuitable lengths of gaspipe are employed to operate the brush, and whenthe boilers are so located that a wall, bulk-head, or machinery preventsthe use of a single rod of the full length. of the fines, a solid rod ofiron is usually employed formed in sections connected together by loopedor hooked ends. The rods thus joined become easily locked together, andconsequently require two operators to successively use them. Further,the diameter of theserods is so small that they are difiicult to graspfirm enough to force through the fouled fine, and also they becomeheated by contact with the hot walls of the fiues, thereby renderingthem difficult to handle.

The object of my invention is to provide a cheap, simple, strong, anddurable rod overcoming these disadvantages, and which will be composedof two or more lengths of wood or other light and strong non-conductingmaterial, the lengths or sections of which are joined together by one ormore universal joints, so that the rods can be used around angles andbetween partitions to clean the fiues, and when out of use can be foldedup with the sections or lengths lying parallel and at right angles tothe connecting-link of the joint; and a further object of the inventionis to provide a flue-scraper composed of several sections so united by aconnecting-link that the rod-section carrying the brush can be operatedin a higher or lower plane than the handle-section or in a plane at anyangle thereto.

These objects are accomplished by and this invention consists in certainnovel features of construction and in combinations of parts, more fullydescribed hereinafter, and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Figure 1 is an elevation of the preferred construction of rod. Fig. 2 isa similar view of another construction of rod. Figs. 3 and 4 are detailsof the connecting-links of the constructions of Figs. 1 and 2,respectively. Figs. 5 and 6 are details of the sockets of Figs. 1 and 2,respectively. Fig. 7 is a section of the brush-holding ferrule.

In the drawings, the reference-letter a indicates several lengths orrods of strong durable wood or other light strong non-conductingmaterial. One end of one length or rod forms the handle I), while theopposite end of the. other rod or section is provided with a metalferrule 0, provided with a bore to receive the end of the rod, and witha screw threaded hole 01 tapped in its outer end to receive the shank orholderof the brush. This ferrule is provided with a series oflongitudinal radially-projecting wings e, the outer edges of which areadapted to run 011 and bear against opposite sides of the inner surfaceof the flue and center the brush therein and prevent the brush fromdropping down to the lower side of the flue when pushed out of the innerend of the flue, thereby rendering .the operation easy and preventingwear on the flue and brush, for in some constructions when the brush waspushed through the flue from one end it would pass through the flue andout at the opposite end and drop down, so that the rod would rest on thelower side of the flue. Consequently it was very diflicult to drawthebrush back into the flue, and was very wearing on brush' and end oftube.

The inner ends of the two rods or lengths are fitted with ferrules orsleeves, the outer ends of which form cases or sockets h, looselyinclosing the balls f f, rigid on the opposite ends of the short link orrod g. Each ferrule and case is formed in two longitudinal halves orsections fitting on opposite sides of the f on one end of link 9 isplaced in a socketsection, and then the other section is placed thereonand secured, thus forming the complete socket and loosely confining theball therein.

The edges of these sockets are pro'- vided with one or more pairs ofinwardly-extending longitudinal slots 1', of such size as to allow theconnecting-link g to fit therein and lie at right angles to the rod. Bythis construction the rods a can be folded together parallel and thelink g will lie at right angles to said rods and will lie in slots 1' inthe ball-sockets. The construction of Fig. 1 shows the ferrule-socket Itprovided with a plurality of slots 2', so that the rods can be foldedparallel in any direction and from any side, and the curved taperedfingers between the slots are provided with exterior re-enforc ing ribsj to strengthen the fingers and permit cutting the slots. Thesere-enforcing ribs can be dispensed with for some cleaning-j rods, as thesocket can be made of cast-steel or other strong material.

In Fig. 2 the ferrule-sockets are provided with two oppositely-locatedslots, so that the rods can fold together in two directions only, theconnecting-link having cross-bars in k at its ends, which cross-bars arej ournaled in the sockets to allow the link to swing in two directions.This jointed rod is adaptable fon other purposes where a jointed foldingrod is desired. For instance, by having a plurality of rods connected byeither of the jointshere" mentioned and providing one rod with a hook orattachment for holding the wire the rods can be successfully used forpulling wire through conduits.

It is evident that various changes might be resorted to in the form andarrangement of the parts described without departing from the spirit andscope of my invention; hence I do not wish to limit myself to theprecise construction herein set forth. 3

What I claim is- 1. A flue-scraper rod consisting of two or more rigidsections, rigid ferrules on the adjoining ends of said sections, and alink looselyconnecting said sections to allow the same to fold paralleland swing freely, said link at its ends being loosely secured to theouter ends of said ferrules, substantially as described.

2. A flue-scraper rod consisting of two or more sections,longitudinally-divided ferrules rigidly secured on the "adjoining endsof said sections, the outer ends of said ferrules being slotted orbifurcated, and a straight link I loosely connecting said sections, atits ends loosely secured in said slotted ends of the ferrules, wherebythe sections can be folded together or used in diflerent planes andangles. 7

3. The combination, in a flue-cleaner, of two or more rods havingsockets on their ends provided with a :plnralityof slots, and a linkconnecting said ends and confined at its ends in said sockets,wherebytherods can be folded together parallel and at right angles to the link,substantially as described.

4. A folding flue-scraping rod composed of two or more wooden rods,ferrules on their ends provided withsockets, a-link connecting said rodsand at its ends loosely con-fined in said sockets, and a ferrule on theend of one rod to receive thebrush, substantially as described.

5. A fine-scraper rod formed in sections, the sections having separableferrules rigidly secured on their-endsand provided with rigid endsockets, and the link loosely connecting each pair of rods and providedwith balls on its ends loosely confined in said sockets to allow thesections free and universal swing, substantially as described.

6. Two rods having ferrules rigidlysecnred two witnesses.

mon s 'nnnn' norms. Witnesses:

E. C. QUIMBY, SETH I. Homes.

